We've heard the expression "a tale of two halves," but the New England Patriots put on a textbook display of what that means. After an incredible first quarter against the Bills, they would eventually go into the half with a 17-point lead.
By the time the clock hit triple zeros, the Bills were the ones celebrating their 35-31 win. The Patriots were outscored 35-10 in the final 32 minutes of the game.
While the meltdown was horrendous to watch and showed the team may not be ready for high-pressure games, there was some great play in the first half. Drake Maye had a pair of rushing touchdowns, both running backs were incredibly efficient, and the defense allowed just seven points against the reigning MVP.
Offensively, they were particularly impressive, outgaining the Bills by 209 yards in the first two periods. That's their biggest yard differential in a half since they played the Dillon Gabriel-led Browns in Week 5 (216 yard difference).
From ESPN Research: The Patriots outgained the Bills 285-76 (+209) in the first half. That is their largest differential in any half since Week 5, 2016 at Cleveland, when they outgained the Browns 321-105 (+216).
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 14, 2025
The Patriots' first half vs. the Bills was one to remember
The first half wasn't just excellent, but it was some of their best work with Maye at the helm. In a high-pressure game against the reigning MVP, they got off to a fantastic start. They had 11 more first downs than the Bills did, went 4/5 on third down, totaled 285 net yards, and punted once.
Their net rushing yards in the first half were higher than the Bills' season average, who run the ball the most effectively in the whole league.
They also had more time of possession than the Bills, averaging 8.6 yards a play compared to Buffalo's 3.6.
Patriots-Bills first half team stats pic.twitter.com/xl3vqadnM9
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) December 14, 2025
While the offense was tremendous, the defense also needs credit for its first-half performance. Without their two best run defenders, they held the best rushing offense in the league to 53 first-half yards.
That would have put the Bills on pace for 103 for the game, which would have ranked 24th when extrapolated over a season. Very impressive, considering James Cook had over 1,300 yards coming into the game and led the league in 100+ yard performances.
Josh Allen's 23 net passing yards were a testament to the excellent tackling from the defensive backs, particularly Marcus Jones and Carlton Davis. There's little doubt the second half was a disastrous display from both units: the offense had just one first down while the defense allowed 28 points. Nonetheless, the first half showed us what the team is capable of.